Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago is a network of pilgrimage routes across Europe leading to the shrine of Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Its routes combine religious devotion with centuries of travel, exchange, and cultural heritage.

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral: A cathedral in Santiago de Compostela built over the traditional tomb of Saint James the Great. The routes converge on this cathedral, the pilgrimage network’s destination.
Camino Francés: The principal Camino route across northern Spain, running from the French border toward Santiago de Compostela. It is the best-known route through the larger Camino network.
Discovery of the tomb of Saint James: The early medieval discovery, in Galicia, of a tomb identified by Christian tradition as that of Saint James the Great. The discovery established the sacred destination around which the pilgrimage developed.
Camino de Santiago in France: A group of historic French pilgrimage routes that connected to paths leading toward Santiago de Compostela. These routes show the Camino’s reach beyond the Iberian Peninsula.
Saint James the Great: One of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, traditionally identified as the patron saint of Spain. His shrine in Santiago gives the pilgrimage its religious focus.
Camino Portugués: A major Camino route from Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, with inland and coastal variants. Its route variants show how the network reaches Santiago from different directions.
King Alfonso II of Asturias: An early ninth-century king of Asturias associated with the first royal pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James. His reported journey connects the shrine’s early history to royal patronage.
Way of St. James in Belgium: Historic pilgrimage paths in Belgium that formed part of journeys toward Santiago de Compostela. They illustrate how local paths joined the wider European pilgrimage network.
Christian pilgrimage: A journey to a place regarded as sacred within Christian tradition. The Camino belongs to a wider practice of journeys to sacred sites.
Camino del Norte: A Camino route along Spain’s northern coast from the French border toward Santiago de Compostela. It offers a distinct coastal alternative to the inland Camino Francés.

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